A Civil Contract

by Georgette Heyer

Her entry took everyone by surprise, including the footman, who had
attempted to usher her into the drawing-room while he went to inform his
mistress of her arrival. It had been arranged that the Lyntons were to have
driven to Nassington House, in Berkeley Square, and to have proceeded thence
to St. James's; and for a moment of almost equal relief and disappointment
Jenny thought that some accident must have occurred, and that there was to
be no Drawing-Room after all. But her ladyship's first words, as much as
her attire, dispelled this notion. "I thought as much!" she said.
"Good
God, girl, do you imagine I am going to take you to Court decked out like a
jeweller's window?" Her high-nosed stare encountered Mr. Chawleigh, and she
demanded: "Who is this?"

"It's my father, ma'am. Papa--this is Lady Nassington!"
responded Jenny,
inwardly quaking at what she feared might prove to be a battle of Titans.

"Oh! How-de-do?" said her ladyship. "Those pearls you
gave Jenny are too
big. She's got too short a neck for them."

"That's as may be, my lady," replied Mr. Chawleigh, bristling.

"No may be about it. Take off that necklace, Jenny! You can't
wear rubies
with that dress, child! And those ear-rings! Let me see what you have in
this monstrous great box: good God! Enough to furnish a king's ransom!"

"Ay, that's about the worth of them," said Mr. Chawleigh, glowering at her.
"Not that I know anything about king's ransoms, but I know what I paid for
my girl's trinkets, and a pretty penny it was!"

"More money than sense!" observed her ladyship. "Ah!
Here's something much more the thing!"

"That?" demanded Mr. Chawleigh, looking with disgust at the delicate
necklace dangling from Lady Nassington's fingers. "Why, that's a bit of
trumpery I gave Mrs. Chawleigh when I was no more than a chicken-nabob!"

"You had better taste then than you have now. Very pretty: exactly
what she should wear!"

"Well, she ain't going to wear it!" declared Mr. Chawleigh,
his choler mounting. "She'll go to Court slap up to the echo, or I'll
know the reason why!"

"Papa!" uttered Jenny imploringly.

"She'll go in a proper mode, or not at all. Lord, man, have you no sense?
She had as well shout aloud that she's an heiress as go to Court hung all
over with jewels! Puffing off her wealth: that's what everyone would say.
Is that what you want?"

"No, indeed it isn't!" said Jenny, as her parent, a trifle nonplussed,
turned this over in his mind. "Now, that's enough, Papa! Her ladyship
knows better than you or me what's the first style of elegance."

"Well, there's no need that I know of for you to be ashamed of my fortune!"
said Mr. Chawleigh, covering his retreat with some sharp fire. "Going about
the town in a paltry necklace that looks as if I couldn't afford to buy the
best for you!"

"If that's all that's putting you into the hips, you may be easy!" said
Lady Nassington. "All the ton knows my nephew's married a great heiress,
and you may believe that she'll take better if she don't make a parade of
her riches. Tell me this! would you thank me for meddling in your business,
whatever it is?"